Sports Agenda: Beeb close to new Six Nations tie-up

Last updated at 08:44 10 October 2007

BBC Sport are expected to retain the TV rights to one of their most valued possessions, the Six Nations Championship, just when rugby union is enjoying a massive popularity boost after England's World Cup heroics.

The Beeb, who have suffered some high-profile losses in the sports rights market, made a pre-emptive take-it-or-leave-it offer to the Six Nations committee for another four years' coverage until 2013. Their current deal runs until the end of the 2009 competition.

However, the Six Nations decided against accepting the Beeb's offer before testing the market and ITV, buoyed by their successful World Cup coverage - the network's only rugby since the last global tournament four years ago - also put a significant bid on the table.

The two offers are about the same and the committee, who will make their decision via a teleconference of board members today, are very likely to stay loyal to the BBC.

The four-year period in question might include an invite to World Cup semi-finalists Argentina - based in Spain for the tournament - to make it a seven-nation festival of rugby.

The Beeb, who lose their FA Cup and England football rights to ITV from next season, have another war chest ready for a serious offensive for the next Champions League contract, to be negotiated around Christmas.

Sponsors to reap Baron greenbacks

RFU chief executive Francis Baron was the focus of dissatisfaction among councillors at the way the game was being run while England struggled at the World Cup.

Now, after one epic victory against Australia, all such criticisms have been forgotten and Baron is back as king of his Twickenham castle.

Not only will he soon be able to sign his promised, improved deals with sponsors Nike and O2, but there will be no need for the briefing paper - full of excuses for failure - he was preparing in anticipation of the 'baby and bath water' media onslaught he expected if England had lost to the Aussies.

Oh dear for Roman as he stresses out

No wonder the Roman Abramovich camp are so keen to stress the proper pronunciation of the Chelsea owner's name is Abram-o-vich.

It emerged after fellow Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky served his £5billion writ on his former business partner in the Hermes store in Knightsbridge last week that Boris's second name is Abramovich.

He uses a different pronunciation, though, stressing A-bram-ovich.

Berezovsky's pursuit of Abramovich to hand over the writ, which claims Berezovsky was forced to sell stakes in businesses for far below their market value, extended to Old Trafford for the Manchester United-Chelsea game.

The route to Roman was blocked then by his security guards, who were caught out in Hermes.

Poor Di

Sky Sports golf presenter Di Stewart has picked up a charming nickname on the circuit. She is called Gilbert, after the manufacturers of the Rugby World Cup ball... because she was kicked into touch by former boyfriend Jonny Wilkinson.

ITV belief boosted that BBC wanted football-rugby TV clash

The FA and BBC agreeing on a 3pm kick-off for Saturday's Euro 2008 qualifier against Estonia at Wembley has only encouraged ITV's belief that the 5pm scheduling for the match against Israel last month was a Beeb attempt to hijack the audience for England's opening Rugby World Cup game against the USA.

ITV made numerous requests for the fixtures not to clash, but the FA went ahead with 5pm.

Bates receives Levi writ

Leeds chairman Ken Bates, who takes legal action against opponents more often than most, has himself received a long-promised libel writ from former Elland Road director Melvyn Levi.

Bates blamed Levi for Leeds' relegation to League One and put his name and address in the match programme - after which Levi asked for police protection in case irate fans turned up at his house.